Do Not Resuscitate (The Sopranos episode)
Encyclopedia
"Do Not Resuscitate" is the fifteenth episode of the HBO original series "The Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...

" and the second of the show's second season. It was written by Robin Green, Mitchell Burgess
Mitchell Burgess
Mitchell Burgess is an Emmy Award-winning writer and producer. He worked extensively on the HBO hit-series The Sopranos. He was a creator and executive producer for Blue Bloods. He frequently works with his wife Robin Green.-Career:...

 and Frank Renzulli
Frank Renzulli
Frank Renzulli is an American film actor, writer and producer.As an Emmy nominated writer and Golden Globe winner, Renzulli has written teleplays for The Sopranos, mainly in the first two seasons, and another Emmy nominated episode in the third season of the highly acclaimed television show...

, directed by Martin Bruestle
Martin Bruestle
Martin Bruestle is an American television producer best known for his work on Northern Exposure and The Sopranos. After graduating from the University of Minnesota in 1987, Martin Bruestle was selected to participate in the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences College Internship Program on the...

 and originally aired on Sunday, January 23, 2000.

Starring

  • James Gandolfini
    James Gandolfini
    James J. Gandolfini, Jr. is an Italian American actor. He is best known for his role as Tony Soprano in the HBO TV series The Sopranos, about a troubled crime boss struggling to balance his family life and career in the Mafia...

     as Tony Soprano
    Tony Soprano
    Anthony John "Tony" Soprano, Sr. is an Italian-American fictional character and the protagonist on the HBO television drama series The Sopranos, on which he is portrayed by James Gandolfini. The character was conceived by The Sopranos creator and show runner David Chase, who was also largely...

  • Lorraine Bracco
    Lorraine Bracco
    Lorraine Bracco is an American actress. She is best known for her TV roles as Dr. Jennifer Melfi on HBO series, The Sopranos, and Angela Rizzoli on the TNT series, Rizzoli & Isles...

     as Dr. Jennifer Melfi *
  • Edie Falco
    Edie Falco
    Edith "Edie" Falco is an American television, film and stage actress, known for her roles in Oz as Diane Wittlesey, as Carmela Soprano on the HBO series The Sopranos, and as the titular character on the Showtime series Nurse Jackie...

     as Carmela Soprano
    Carmela Soprano
    Carmela Soprano née DeAngelis, played by Edie Falco, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. She is the wife of Mafia boss Tony Soprano and the program's most prominent female character.-Character biography:...

  • Michael Imperioli
    Michael Imperioli
    James Michael Imperioli , commonly known as Michael Imperioli, is an American actor and television writer. He is perhaps best known for his role as Christopher Moltisanti on The Sopranos for which he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2004. He also...

     as Christopher Moltisanti
    Christopher Moltisanti
    Christopher "Chris" Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He was Tony Soprano's protégé and a Capo in the Soprano crime family.-Biography:...

  • Dominic Chianese
    Dominic Chianese
    Dominic Chianese is an American film, television and theatre actor, perhaps best known for his role as Corrado "Junior" Soprano on the HBO TV series, The Sopranos.-Early life:...

     as Corrado Soprano, Jr.
    Junior Soprano
    Corrado John Soprano, Jr., played by Dominic Chianese, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. Usually referred to as "Junior" or "Uncle Jun", he is the mentor and surrogate father for capo Tony Soprano. A younger Corrado sometimes appears in flashbacks and is played by Rocco...

  • Vincent Pastore
    Vincent Pastore
    Vincent Pastore is an Italian-American actor, often cast as a mobster and best known for the role of Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero on The Sopranos.-Early life:...

     as Pussy Bonpensiero
  • Steven Van Zandt
    Steven Van Zandt
    Steven Van Zandt is an Italian-American musician, songwriter, arranger, record producer, actor, and radio disc jockey, who frequently goes by the stage names Little Steven or Miami Steve...

     as Silvio Dante
    Silvio Dante
    Silvio Manfred Dante, often referred to as "Sil", played by Steven Van Zandt, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He is the consigliere to Tony Soprano in the Soprano crime family. Silvio has one of the lowest profiles on the show. He is usually a behind the scenes figure...

  • Tony Sirico
    Tony Sirico
    Genaro Anthony "Tony" Sirico, Jr. is an American character actor who is most famous for his role as Paulie Gualtieri in the television series The Sopranos.- Background and career :Sirico was born in Midwood, Brooklyn...

     as Paulie Gualtieri
    Paulie Gualtieri
    Peter Paul "Paulie Walnuts" Gualtieri played by Tony Sirico, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He is a caporegime and later underboss in the Soprano crime family.-Plot details:...

  • Robert Iler
    Robert Iler
    Robert Michael Iler is an American actor, known for his portrayal of A.J. Soprano on The Sopranos which aired on HBO from 1999-2007....

     as Anthony Soprano, Jr.
    Anthony Soprano, Jr.
    Anthony John "A.J." Soprano, Jr. , played by Robert Iler, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. Usually just called "A.J.", he is the son of Carmela and Tony Soprano. He is a prototypical underachiever and is a constant source of stress and anxiety for his parents...

  • Jamie-Lynn Sigler
    Jamie-Lynn Sigler
    Jamie-Lynn Sigler is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Meadow Soprano on the HBO television series The Sopranos.-Early life:...

     as Meadow Soprano
    Meadow Soprano
    Meadow Mariangela Soprano , played by Jamie-Lynn Sigler, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos.-Character:Meadow is the first-born child of Tony and Carmela Soprano...

  • Drea de Matteo
    Drea de Matteo
    Drea de Matteo is an American television actress, perhaps best known for her roles Joey Tribbiani's sister Gina on the NBC sitcom Joey, as Angie Bolen on ABC's Desperate Housewives, and as Adriana La Cerva on the acclaimed HBO TV series The Sopranos, a role for which she won the Primetime Emmy...

     as Adriana La Cerva
    Adriana La Cerva
    Adriana La Cerva played by Drea de Matteo, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. She is the long-time girlfriend and, later, fiancée of Tony Soprano's protégé, Christopher Moltisanti.-Character history:...

     *
  • Aida Turturro
    Aida Turturro
    Aida Turturro is an American actress probably best known for playing Janice Soprano, sister of New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano, on the HBO TV series The Sopranos .-Personal life:...

     as Janice Soprano
    Janice Soprano
    Janice Soprano Baccalieri, played by Aida Turturro, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. She is Tony Soprano's elder sister. A young Janice has appeared in flashbacks, played by Madeline Blue and Juliet Fox.-Biography:...

  • Nancy Marchand
    Nancy Marchand
    Nancy Marchand was an American actress, whose career encompassed both stage and screen. She appeared in various theatre productions throughout the early 1950s, before being offered roles on film and television....

     as Livia Soprano
    Livia Soprano
    Livia Soprano , played by Nancy Marchand, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. She is the mother of Tony Soprano. A young Livia, played by Laila Robins and later by Laurie J. Williams is sometimes seen in flashbacks...


"* means credited but didn't appear"

Guest starring

  • Bill Cobbs
    Bill Cobbs
    Wilbert "Bill" Cobbs is an American film and television actor. He has starred in over 120 television programs and movies.-Life and career:...

     as Reverend James, Sr.
  • Lillo Brancato Jr.
    Lillo Brancato Jr.
    Lillo Brancato, Jr. is a Colombian-born American actor, known for his performance as "Calogero Anello" in Robert De Niro's 1993 directorial debut, A Bronx Tale. He also played Matthew Bevilaqua, a young mobster on The Sopranos. In December 2005, Brancato was charged with second-degree murder for...

     as Matt Bevilaqua
  • Louis Lombardi
    Louis Lombardi
    Louis Lombardi is an American actor.Lombardi was born in The Bronx, New York City, the son of Louis Lombardi, Sr. On television, Lombardi had a recurring role on The Sopranos as Agent Skip Lipari, and guest starred on such shows as Entourage, Heroes and CSI. He was a cast member of a 1990s...

     as Skip Lipari
  • Gregalan Williams
    Gregory Alan Williams
    Gregory Alan Williams is an American actor and author. Williams is best known for portraying Garner Ellerbee in the syndicated series Baywatch.-Early life and acting career:...

     as Reverend James, Jr.
  • Richard Portnow
    Richard Portnow
    Richard Portnow is an American actor known for such films and television shows as Barton Fink, Se7en, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, The Spirit, Law Abiding Citizen, Private Parts, Fallen Arches, Double Down, Spring Break '83, The Sopranos, Hannah Montana and Boston Legal.-Life and career:A...

     as Attorney Melvoin
  • Steven R. Schirripa as "Bacala" Baccalieri
    Bobby Baccalieri
    Robert "Bobby Bacala" Baccalieri, Jr., played by Steve R. Schirripa, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He was a Capo and later the acting underboss of the DiMeo Crime Family, as well as Tony Soprano's brother-in-law...

  • Chris Tardio as Sean Gismonte
  • Robert Desiderio
    Robert Desiderio
    Robert Desiderio is an American actor best known for his television roles.Desiderio was born in New York City, New York, the son of Mary and Anthony J. Desiderio. He first came to prominence in soap opera, with parts in daytime dramas such as Search for Tomorrow, Ryan's Hope and One Life to Live...

     as Jack Massarone
  • Michael Broughton as Protestor
  • James Collins
    James Collins
    -Sports:*James Collins , Welsh footballer, currently playing for Aston Villa*James Collins , Irish footballer, currently playing for Shrewsbury Town*James Collins , NBA basketball player...

     as Truck Driver
  • Catherine Dent
    Catherine Dent
    Catherine Dent is an American actress who has starred in film and in television. Her first feature film was the 1994 movie Nobody's Fool....

     as Arlene Riley

  • John Fiore
    John Fiore (actor)
    John Fiore is an American actor from Somerville, Massachusetts.Fiore is probably best known for his recurring role as Detective Tony Profaci on the long-running NBC crime drama Law & Order...

     as Gigi Cestone
  • Elizabeth Flax as Therapist
  • Sam Gray as Judge Greenspan
  • Timothy Huang as Doctor
  • Tertia Lynch as Duty Nurse
  • John Mariano
    John Mariano
    John Mariano is an Emmy Award winning American actor whose worked in film, television, animation and nightclubs. He is known for playing tough guys with a comic edge. His ability of physical comedy has been compared to Jerry Lewis and Buster Keaton. Keaton's late wife Eleanor was quoted as saying;...

     as Ralph Giorgio
  • Tony Rigo as Old Guy
  • Laurine Towler as Surgical Nurse
  • Kellie Turner as Nurse's aide
  • Beatrice Winde
    Beatrice Winde
    Beatrice Winde was an American actress.Born Beatrice Lucille Williams in Chicago, she graduated from the Chicago Music Conservatory as a voice student and continued her voice studies briefly at the Yale University School of Music and at Juilliard.Winde appeared on Broadway in the 1971 Melvin Van...

     as Funeral Guest


Episode recap

Tony Soprano
Tony Soprano
Anthony John "Tony" Soprano, Sr. is an Italian-American fictional character and the protagonist on the HBO television drama series The Sopranos, on which he is portrayed by James Gandolfini. The character was conceived by The Sopranos creator and show runner David Chase, who was also largely...

 visits Uncle Junior
Junior Soprano
Corrado John Soprano, Jr., played by Dominic Chianese, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. Usually referred to as "Junior" or "Uncle Jun", he is the mentor and surrogate father for capo Tony Soprano. A younger Corrado sometimes appears in flashbacks and is played by Rocco...

 in prison, upset that he wasn't put on the visitors' list for three weeks. Tony tells Junior to be careful and that he is lucky that Tony is letting him earn. Junior tries in vain to convince Tony that Livia had nothing to do with the shooting. Tony won't talk business but asks to meet with Bobby "Bacala" Baccalieri
Bobby Baccalieri
Robert "Bobby Bacala" Baccalieri, Jr., played by Steve R. Schirripa, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He was a Capo and later the acting underboss of the DiMeo Crime Family, as well as Tony Soprano's brother-in-law...

, Junior's "courier" and soldier in his crew. When Bacala meets Tony at the pork store, Tony tells him that Junior can still "earn" via his shylock
Shylock
Shylock is a fictional character in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.-In the play:In The Merchant of Venice, Shylock is a Jewish moneylender who lends money to his Christian rival, Antonio, setting the security at a pound of Antonio's flesh...

 business and the pipe fitters' union, but everything else now belongs to Tony, though Junior will still hold the title of boss. Before leaving, Bobby quotes, "to the victor belongs the spoils." Tony tells Bobby to shove his "quotations book up your fat fuckin' ass" and to get out.

The following day, Junior's lawyer, Harold Melvoin, successfully gets Junior out of jail after convincing the judge that Junior has a recurring heart problem. The judge agrees to put Junior on house arrest
House arrest
In justice and law, house arrest is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to his or her residence. Travel is usually restricted, if allowed at all...

 with a position-monitoring bracelet, on the condition that he can only leave the house for grocery shopping, family functions, and doctor's appointments. During one such appointment at which Tony is present, Junior tells Tony that the owner of the Green Grove Nursing Home, Fred Capuano, has been discussing Soprano family business with others, saying that "Tony Soprano likes to fluff his mother's pillows". Tony takes action by making sure that Capuano disappears. Shortly thereafter, a state trooper finds Capuano's abandoned Cadillac Sedan Deville and toupee
Toupee
A toupée is a hairpiece or partial wig of natural or synthetic hair worn to cover partial baldness or for theatrical purposes. While toupées and hairpieces are typically associated with male wearers, some women also use hairpieces to lengthen existing hair, or cover partially exposed scalp...

 near a road and opens the car trunk, which supposedly holds Capuano's body.

After Pussy has surgery for his back, his "friend" Agent Skip Lipari takes him home. It is revealed that Pussy has been working with the FBI since 1998, but it is unknown to what exact extent. Now that informant Jimmy Altieri has been whacked, Skip wants Pussy to step up and "stop being Tony's errand boy." Pussy tries to convince Skip that he is over Tony and that he wants to help the government. However, Pussy continues to lie to Lipari and provide him with false information.

When Tony learns that Massarone Brothers Construction is facing problems due to a lack of African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...

 workers, which is causing several protests, he accepts Jack Massarone's offer to stop the dissent. Tony then sends in several mob associates to successfully "scare" the protesters away from the construction site. Tony later visits Reverend James, Jr., where it is revealed that he is in it with Tony. He arranged the protest so that the Soprano crew could break it up. The reverend states "My protesters would kill me if they knew I was lining my pockets with their blood."

In the hospital, Janice Soprano
Janice Soprano
Janice Soprano Baccalieri, played by Aida Turturro, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. She is Tony Soprano's elder sister. A young Janice has appeared in flashbacks, played by Madeline Blue and Juliet Fox.-Biography:...

 continues to visit Livia
Livia Soprano
Livia Soprano , played by Nancy Marchand, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. She is the mother of Tony Soprano. A young Livia, played by Laila Robins and later by Laurie J. Williams is sometimes seen in flashbacks...

, still unhappy and in self-pity. When Janice asks Meadow
Meadow Soprano
Meadow Mariangela Soprano , played by Jamie-Lynn Sigler, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos.-Character:Meadow is the first-born child of Tony and Carmela Soprano...

 what brings Livia joy, Meadow tells her that Livia enjoys opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...

 and show tunes. Janice then purchases a set of records and plays them for Livia, who becomes very emotional. Later, Livia begins to choke but is quickly attended by a nurse. The nurse then discusses with Janice whether to make Livia a "DNR"—otherwise known as "Do Not Resuscitate
Do not resuscitate
In medicine, a "do not resuscitate" or "DNR" is a legal order written either in the hospital or on a legal form to respect the wishes of a patient to not undergo CPR or advanced cardiac life support if their heart were to stop or they were to stop breathing...

"—if she ever enters a comatose state or is kept alive artificially. Janice considers this and talks it over with Tony, who advises her to do whatever she wants and that she can even move into Livia's house if she should choose. A.J.
Anthony Soprano, Jr.
Anthony John "A.J." Soprano, Jr. , played by Robert Iler, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. Usually just called "A.J.", he is the son of Carmela and Tony Soprano. He is a prototypical underachiever and is a constant source of stress and anxiety for his parents...

 overhears this and asks Livia if "DNR" is the same as "DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...

," as he is writing a school paper on the subject. Livia is shocked that her daughter would suggest this. When Janice tells Livia she is ready to go home, Livia says, "Why? So you can 'not resuscitate' me?" Livia is then brought back to her hospital room where, apparently quite disoriented, she calls Carmela
Carmela Soprano
Carmela Soprano née DeAngelis, played by Edie Falco, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. She is the wife of Mafia boss Tony Soprano and the program's most prominent female character.-Character biography:...

 and tells her about her troubled offspring, and promises to leave her wealth to her grandchildren. Carmela warns her to never call the house again and hangs up on her, just as Livia is about to say if any foul play is suspected to blame Janice.

The following evening, Junior slips in the bathtub while shaving and believes that he has fractured something. Bobby Bacala then calls Tony for help and Tony hurries over to find Junior lying on the couch in his bathrobe. Tony suggests that they call an ambulance, to which Junior objects. Tony then picks his uncle up like a baby and proceeds to drive him to the emergency room.

First appearances

  • "Black" Jack Massarone: owner of Massarone Brothers Construction, which was once run by Uncle Junior
  • Bobby "Bacala" Baccalieri
    Bobby Baccalieri
    Robert "Bobby Bacala" Baccalieri, Jr., played by Steve R. Schirripa, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He was a Capo and later the acting underboss of the DiMeo Crime Family, as well as Tony Soprano's brother-in-law...

    : member of the Junior Soprano crew who becomes Junior's aide
  • Agent Skip Lipari: FBI Agent handling Big Pussy Bonpensiero

Deceased

  • Frederick 'Freddie' Capuano: Director of Green Grove Retirement Community, murdered by the Soprano crime family for talking about Soprano business and about Tony's attempt to kill his mother
  • Reverend Herman James, Sr.: dies of natural causes due to old age (he was 83)

Title reference

  • The episode's title is a common medical clause known as Do Not Resuscitate
    Do not resuscitate
    In medicine, a "do not resuscitate" or "DNR" is a legal order written either in the hospital or on a legal form to respect the wishes of a patient to not undergo CPR or advanced cardiac life support if their heart were to stop or they were to stop breathing...

     or DNR. Janice and Tony talk about signing a DNR for Livia.

Connections to future episodes

  • Agent Lipari stated that Pussy has been working with the FBI since 1998, which would mean that Tony's suspicion of Pussy wearing a wire during Christmas of 1995 in episode 3.10, "...To Save Us All From Satan's Power," was false.

Production

  • Although this was the second episode of season two to air, it was the third to be produced.

Music

  • The song playing as Janice drives while smoking pot was "Mother and Child Reunion
    Mother and Child Reunion
    "Mother and Child Reunion" is a song by Paul Simon on his album, Paul Simon , his first solo album after Bridge Over Troubled Water. It was released as a single on February 5, 1972, reaching #4 on the U.S...

    ," by Paul Simon
    Paul Simon
    Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...

    .
  • The song playing when Janice reconciles with Livia in the hospital is "Non ti scordar di me," in the version by Luciano Pavarotti
    Luciano Pavarotti
    right|thumb|Luciano Pavarotti performing at the opening of the Constantine Palace in [[Strelna]], 31 May 2003. The concert was part of the celebrations for the 300th anniversary of [[St...

    .
  • The song played over the end credits is "Goodnight, My Love" by Ella Fitzgerald
    Ella Fitzgerald
    Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...

    .
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